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Glite Dictionary
gametophore

gametophore

1 9.9
A branch of small plants like mosses and liverworts that holds egg or sperm organs
  • noun
  • /ˈɡæməˌtoʊfɔr/
  • Specialized
: gametóforo
  • The gametophore of a moss plant often looks like a small leafy shoot.

Examples

  • The gametophore of the liverwort is crucial for reproduction.

  • In some species, the gametophore can be quite large.

  • Botanists observed the gametophore developing new gametangia under the microscope.

  • During reproduction, the liverwort produces a gametophore that supports its sexual organs.

  • The gametophore plays a crucial role in the reproduction of liverworts by bearing the gametangia.

  • In the lifecycle of mosses, the gametophore is the structure responsible for producing gametes.

  • During the study of thalloid liverworts, researchers observed how the gametophore developed from the main plant body.

Synonyms

gametoecium
vsgametophore
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of parts that make sex cells and have small leaf-like coverings around them

is a single modified branch that bears reproductive organs rather than a grouped structure

Surface Forms

gametophore singular
gametophores plural

Morphology

gametophore = gamete (opaque) = gameto + phore

The word uses specialized Greek combining forms ('gameto-' + '-phore') common in scientific terminology; even knowing 'gamete', the suffix '-phore' meaning 'bearing' is not obvious to general learners.

Etymology

Gametophore comes from the parts gameto- meaning 'sex cell' and -phore meaning 'to carry' or 'bear'. So, a gametophore is the plant part that 'carries' or holds the sex cells or sexual organs during reproduction.